1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to earth-boring bits used to drill a borehole for the ultimate recovery of oil, gas or minerals. More particularly, the invention relates to rolling cone rock bits and to an improved cutting structure and cutter element for such bits.
2. Background Information
An earth-boring drill bit is typically mounted on the lower end of a drill string and is rotated by rotating the drill string at the surface or by actuation of downhole motors or turbines, or by both methods. With weight applied to the drill string, the rotating drill bit engages the earthen formation and proceeds to form a borehole along a predetermined path toward a target zone. The borehole formed in the drilling process will have a diameter generally equal to the diameter or “gage” of the drill bit.
A typical earth-boring bit includes one or more rotatable cutters that perform their cutting function due to the rolling movement of the cutters acting against the formation material. The cutters roll and slide upon the bottom of the borehole as the bit is rotated, the cutters thereby engaging and disintegrating the formation material in its path. The rotatable cutters may be described as generally conical in shape and are therefore sometimes referred to as rolling cones. The borehole is formed as the gouging and scraping or crushing and chipping action of the rotary cones remove chips of formation material which are carried upward and out of the borehole by drilling fluid which is pumped downwardly through the drill pipe and out of the bit.
The earth disintegrating action of the rolling cone cutters is enhanced by providing the cutters with a plurality of cutter elements. Cutter elements are generally of two types: inserts formed of a very hard material, such as tungsten carbide, that are press fit into undersized apertures in the cone surface; or teeth that are milled, cast or otherwise integrally formed from the material of the rolling cone. Bits having tungsten carbide inserts are typically referred to as “TCI” bits or “insert” bits, while those having teeth formed from the cone material are known as “steel tooth bits.” In each instance, the cutter elements on the rotating cutters break up the formation to form a new borehole by a combination of gouging and scraping or chipping and crushing.
In oil and gas drilling, the cost of drilling a borehole is proportional to the length of time it takes to drill to the desired depth and location. The time required to drill the well, in turn, is greatly affected by the number of times the drill bit must be changed in order to reach the targeted formation. This is the case because each time the bit is changed, the entire string of drill pipe, which may be miles long, must be retrieved from the borehole, section by section. Once the drill string has been retrieved and the new bit installed, the bit must be lowered to the bottom of the borehole on the drill string, which again must be constructed section by section. As is thus obvious, this process, known as a “trip” of the drill string, requires considerable time, effort and expense. Accordingly, it is always desirable to employ drill bits which will drill faster and longer and which are usable over a wider range of formation hardness.
The length of time that a drill bit may be employed before it must be changed depends upon its rate of penetration (“ROP”), as well as its durability. The form and positioning of the cutter elements upon the cone cutters greatly impact bit durability and ROP, and thus are critical to the success of a particular bit design.
To assist in maintaining the gage of a borehole, conventional rolling cone bits typically employ a heel row of hard metal inserts on the heel surface of the rolling cone cutters. The heel surface is a generally frustoconical surface and is configured and positioned so as to generally align with and ream the sidewall of the borehole as the bit rotates. The inserts in the heel surface contact the borehole wall with a sliding motion and thus generally may be described as scraping or reaming the borehole sidewall. The heel inserts function primarily to maintain a constant gage and secondarily to prevent the erosion and abrasion of the heel surface of the rolling cone. Excessive wear of the heel inserts leads to an undergage borehole, decreased ROP, increased loading on the other cutter elements on the bit, and may accelerate wear of the cutter bearing, and ultimately lead to bit failure.
Conventional bits also typically include one or more rows of gage cutter elements. Gage row elements are mounted adjacent to the heel surface but orientated and sized in such a manner so as to cut the corner of the borehole. In this orientation, the gage cutter elements generally are required to cut both the borehole bottom and sidewall. The lower surface of the gage row cutter elements engage the borehole bottom while the radially outermost surface scrapes the sidewall of the borehole.
Conventional bits also include a number of additional rows of cutter elements that are located on the cones in rows disposed radially inward from the gage row. These cutter elements are sized and configured for cutting the bottom of the borehole and are typically described as bottomhole or inner row cutter elements. In contrast to gage and heel row inserts that ream the sidewall of the borehole and cut formation via a scraping or shearing action, inner row inserts are intended to impact, penetrate, and remove formation material by gouging, crushing, and fracturing formation material. Consequently, in many applications, inner row cutter elements are sharper than those typically employed in the gage row or the heel rows.
Inserts in TCI bits have been provided with various geometries. One insert typically employed in an inner row may generally be described as a “conical” insert, one having a cutting surface that tapers from a cylindrical base to a pointed or a generally rounded apex. Another common shape for an insert for use in inner rows is what generally may be described as a “chisel” shaped. Rather then having the pointed or spherical apex of the conical insert, a chisel insert generally includes two generally flattened sides or flanks that converge and terminate in an elongate crest at the terminal end of the insert. The chisel element may have rather sharp transitions where the flanks intersect the more rounded portions of the cutting surface, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1-8 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,779. As a result, such inserts are generally more aggressive and effective at penetrating the formation as the weight applied to the formation through the insert is concentrated, at least initially, on the relatively small surface area of the crest. However, the relatively sharp cutting edges endure high stresses that may lead to chipping and ultimately breakage of the insert. And further, although inner row inserts with sharper geometries provide reasonable rates of penetration, they tend to wear at a fast rate, particularly in hard abrasive formations. Both wear and breakage may cause a bit's ROP to drop dramatically, as for example, from 80 feet per hour to less than 10 feet per hour. Once the cutting structure is damaged and the rate of penetration reduced to an unacceptable rate, the drill string must be removed in order to replace the drill bit. As mentioned, this “trip” of the drill string is extremely time consuming and expensive to the driller.
Another type of insert that can be employed in an inner row may be described as a “dome-shaped,” “semi-round top,” or “hemispherical” insert. As the description implies, such inserts have a more rounded cutting surface that is free of sharp cutting edges and crests. As compared to more aggressive inserts, dome-shaped inserts tend to be more abrasion resistant since they generally have more insert material in their cutting portions. Further, lacking sharp cutting edges and crests, such inserts are less susceptible to chipping and fracturing. Although conventional dome-shaped inserts are more robust and durable than conventional aggressive inner row inserts, dome-shaped inserts are less effective at penetrating the uncut formation and removing formation material, and therefore, typically provide lower ROP.
As will be understood then, there remains a need in the art for a cutter element and cutting structure that will provide a high rate of penetration and be durable enough to withstand hard and abrasive formations.
Increasing ROP while maintaining good cutter and bit life to increase the footage drilled is still an important goal so as to decrease drilling time and recover valuable oil and gas more economically. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a drill bit and cutting elements that will yield a high ROP and footage drilled. Such a drill bit and cutting elements would be particularly well received if it was sufficiently durable and had a geometry less susceptible to breakage.